Some girls will always have your back, and some girls can't help but stab you in it.
Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica are those girls: they're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them--and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band--without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend, as well as a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved--literally, figuratively, physically....she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever....or tears them apart for good?
Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica are those girls: they're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them--and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band--without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend, as well as a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved--literally, figuratively, physically....she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever....or tears them apart for good?
I'm about to go on about this book, so...sorry.
This book. This BOOK. When NetGalley sent me an email saying that I could read this book (if I was quick enough to request it), I debated for a minute. I already have seven other books on my NetGalley shelf (and about a thousand more on my for reals shelf), but, like a fool, I clicked the request button anyway.
I am so glad that I did.
The best way I can describe this book is like the Gossip Girl series, but with substance. The story follows three eleventh grade best friends: Alex, Mollie, and Veronica. I guess the most amazing part of this is that those three girls each had their own personality. That might not seem like a big deal, but it really, really is.
Alex is a sweet stoner, a wannabe singer, a girl so insecure that she can't see the good in her when it's smacking her in the face. Mollie, the resident bitch, is dating the stud on the football team, and she uses that to her advantage any way she can. Veronica is clueless, confused, adorably sweet, and somewhat of a promiscuous girl (Mollie calls her a slut any time she possibly can). It's not easy getting these three mixed up. They all have their own voices, their own wants and needs and ticks and personality traits. And they're all so good that it hurts.
I think the reason this book hit me so hard is that, at one point or another, these three girls perfectly described what it was like to be a teenager. Like Alex. She was the one I identified with most, mainly because I had horrible self esteem in high school, even though, like her, I tried to hide it. She says things like, "I'd learned to be careful not to delude myself and accidentally think I was pretty or talented or special in anyway, because I couldn't risk being humiliated and disappointed when it turned out that wasn't true."
Ouch.
But that's how it feels sometimes in high school. Alex didn't sugar coat it because she doesn't know how to. That's what she really thinks about herself.
Veronica. Oh, sweet, naive Veronica. She ends up hooking up with someone she shouldn't, but has a perfect boyfriend that she wants to love. He's actually nice, and when she turns him down for sex, he's completely fine with it. She's confused as all hell because "No never means no. No means try a little harder, right?" Of course it does in her head, because that's all she's ever known, all that any guy has ever taught her. She puts herself out there and only receives requests for more lewd acts.
The one character I thought I didn't connect with was Mollie. She was so mean and rude and I felt like telling her to get a life. But then I found out that that's all she really wanted. She constantly worries that her and Alex are drifting apart because Alex has a new band and a new life and new secrets that Mollie knows nothing about. This terrifies her into acting more and more like a cold-hearted bitch. Then there's her boyfriend, Sam, a complete jerk in every sense. He sleeps with her friends, treats her like a sex object, and completely demeans her. She knows that she doesn't have to give into his wants, but she hopes that if she does, "he'd hold on to me, appreciate me, love me." It's so terribly sad.
I basically highlighted the crap out of this book, and it took me a day and a half to read it. It made me feel things that I haven't felt since high school, and while some of it wasn't great, it was kind of interesting. I guess long story short, I want to read the junk out of this book over and over again, and now I'm going to cry because this is Lauren Saft's debut and that means there's nothing else of hers that I can devour.
This book. This BOOK. When NetGalley sent me an email saying that I could read this book (if I was quick enough to request it), I debated for a minute. I already have seven other books on my NetGalley shelf (and about a thousand more on my for reals shelf), but, like a fool, I clicked the request button anyway.
I am so glad that I did.
The best way I can describe this book is like the Gossip Girl series, but with substance. The story follows three eleventh grade best friends: Alex, Mollie, and Veronica. I guess the most amazing part of this is that those three girls each had their own personality. That might not seem like a big deal, but it really, really is.
Alex is a sweet stoner, a wannabe singer, a girl so insecure that she can't see the good in her when it's smacking her in the face. Mollie, the resident bitch, is dating the stud on the football team, and she uses that to her advantage any way she can. Veronica is clueless, confused, adorably sweet, and somewhat of a promiscuous girl (Mollie calls her a slut any time she possibly can). It's not easy getting these three mixed up. They all have their own voices, their own wants and needs and ticks and personality traits. And they're all so good that it hurts.
I think the reason this book hit me so hard is that, at one point or another, these three girls perfectly described what it was like to be a teenager. Like Alex. She was the one I identified with most, mainly because I had horrible self esteem in high school, even though, like her, I tried to hide it. She says things like, "I'd learned to be careful not to delude myself and accidentally think I was pretty or talented or special in anyway, because I couldn't risk being humiliated and disappointed when it turned out that wasn't true."
Ouch.
But that's how it feels sometimes in high school. Alex didn't sugar coat it because she doesn't know how to. That's what she really thinks about herself.
Veronica. Oh, sweet, naive Veronica. She ends up hooking up with someone she shouldn't, but has a perfect boyfriend that she wants to love. He's actually nice, and when she turns him down for sex, he's completely fine with it. She's confused as all hell because "No never means no. No means try a little harder, right?" Of course it does in her head, because that's all she's ever known, all that any guy has ever taught her. She puts herself out there and only receives requests for more lewd acts.
The one character I thought I didn't connect with was Mollie. She was so mean and rude and I felt like telling her to get a life. But then I found out that that's all she really wanted. She constantly worries that her and Alex are drifting apart because Alex has a new band and a new life and new secrets that Mollie knows nothing about. This terrifies her into acting more and more like a cold-hearted bitch. Then there's her boyfriend, Sam, a complete jerk in every sense. He sleeps with her friends, treats her like a sex object, and completely demeans her. She knows that she doesn't have to give into his wants, but she hopes that if she does, "he'd hold on to me, appreciate me, love me." It's so terribly sad.
I basically highlighted the crap out of this book, and it took me a day and a half to read it. It made me feel things that I haven't felt since high school, and while some of it wasn't great, it was kind of interesting. I guess long story short, I want to read the junk out of this book over and over again, and now I'm going to cry because this is Lauren Saft's debut and that means there's nothing else of hers that I can devour.
Okay, I guess maybe I should add a warning that some parts are kind of explicit. Don't worry, though: it doesn't feel obligatory or even cheap. Those scenes just feel needed.
The bad news is that this book doesn't come out until June 9. But here's the links for you to pre-order!
I've done my good deed for the day. Now I can go enjoy the rain while pretending that I don't have a million things to do.
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